In the Bohra community, khatna is equivalent to Type I or Type IV FGM as classified by the World Health Organization. The actual practice, as described in Daim ul Islam, is the removal of the prepuce tissue off the clitoris.

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Advocate and social activist, Sunita Tiwari, today presented a PIL to India's Supreme Court. Seeking a complete ban on the "extremely secretive" ritual and its classification as a criminal offence, Tiwari said that, in the name of an archaic ritual, a lot of physical and psychological damage was being inflicted on each girl and woman of the community.
Tiwari argued that this ritual, like many others, had the same basis: "When men… Read more ›

In response to the recent arrest of Dr. Jumana Nagarwala, Bohra activist, Zehra Patwa, spoke to Lester Graham of Stateside, on Michigan Radio, to discuss the practice of khatna/FGM in the Bohra community. She emphasized that it is a cultural practice, not a religious one, and is premised in the false and patriarchal notion that it will control women’s sexuality. She also commented on the “veil of secrecy” that inhibits open… Read more ›

Masooma Ranalvi still recalls the day, at age 7, when she was taken to dirty apartment in Bhindi Bazaar in Mumbai with the promise of ice cream. The horror of that day remained with her as a shameful secret until, in college, she was able to put a name to her experience: female genital mutilation.